The TTC is slowly — finally! — getting into the merchandise business.
Today sees the launch of two very attractive vintage posters: one is a print of the original TTC subway map (circa 1958) and the other a TTC promotional poster (circa 1966). Both are now available for purchase for $15 (tax included) each at TTC’s Customer Service Centre at 1900 Yonge Street, above Davisville Station (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., except statutory holidays).
It’s not often we say the TTC gets things right when it comes to promotional and merchandise items but these two posters are great additions to Toronto’s now lengthy list of transit ephemera.
15 comments
Nice! Will these be available online?
All we know is that they are available at TTC HQ for purchase. From my discussions with TTC folks I do not believe they will be doing mail order at this time.
They are sitting on a treasure trove and should be pumping out this stuff! It would be great to see the TTC join the 21st century and use drop shipping while also selling them in person. As the availability of good transit swag increases, sales will boom… just watch.
Will there be a possibility of getting these through Spacing? I don’t mind the added markup, so long as my $30 or so dollars will go towards transit expansion.
Oh, they’ll be available online. But this being the TTC, you’ll need to use a Geocities-style guestbook (complete with tacky hit counter and a MIDI version of “The Trolley Song”) to order them. They’ll upgrade to an actual online ordering system sometime in 2040.
I’m waiting for HO models of the TTC’s new Bombardier Flexity Outlook streetcars, in TTC colours of course. See http://youtu.be/a7MLJuKVS2U
Love the posters! Would very much appreciate an online ordering option for those of us who work outside the city and can’t get away during business hours. Please TTC!
@ Stephen Job: agreed. Currently nothing I’m aware of matches NYC MTA’s merch offerings http://www.transitmuseumstore.com
@ Jose Ongpin: have your Toronto Subway Typeface History poster framed & on my office wall.
Spacing has clearly shown there is a demand for TTC merchandise – have there been any attempts by Spacing to work with the TTC to develop their full merchandising potential? Seems like a win-win situation.
Nothing against a bricks and mortar shop (but really, Yonge and Davisville), but an online presence seems like an obvious move here.
Online sure, but what’s wrong with Yonge and Davisville? Closer to the geographic centre of Toronto than not.
I’m okay with going to Yonge & Davisville to buy a subway map. After all, IT’S ON THE SUBWAY LINE.
In San Francisco they have several versions of old streetcars, including a PCC painted in TTC colours, on their Market Street line. Their transit shop has very nice fridge magnets of them all – maybe the TTC should get a supply of the TTC one (Car 1074) and sell it here. See: http://www.streetcar.org/ )
@Al in addition to NYC, would recommend the London UK transit museum & shop http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/
What about underwear? See http://imgur.com/4Qzfesc. Berlin did this several years ago. The Berlin transit agency (BVG) was as savvy as the London and NYC transit agencies in terms of marketing their “brand”.
The merchandise should definitely be available online, so that expats, esteemed visitors and people fascinated with Toronto in general in other parts of the world can enjoy it.